Summer Solstice
by LadyGadfly
Summary: It's the summer solstice. It's hot. It's sticky. And Diaval and Maleficent can't sleep. Shameless pwp. I apologise for nothing. Written for Maleval Week Day 5: Sleeping/Spooning (& Preening).


It was high summer and they were both _sweltering_.

In the nest they shared in a big old oak tree, Maleficent and Diaval sprawled naked trying, and failing, to sleep in the stifling heat.

Maleficent groaned and flopped over on her side facing away from her mate, who was currently trying to sleep half hanging over the side of the nest in the vain hope of catching a breeze.

"If this heat doesn't let up sometime soon I'm going to go sleep in the watering hole." She growled.

"It dried up." Her mate's voice replied.

"The lake."

"Can't. The water nymphs would never let you sleep there and you know it."

"The waterfall."

"Wallerbogs already had that idea."

"I'll go for a fly then!"

"You can't sleep whilst flying!" Her mate replied incredulously.

"Well at least it would cool me down some!" Maleficent flapped her free wing in irritation. She heard the rustling sound of her mate moving closer.

He reached out a soothing hand to smooth down her feathers, stroking down her wings in calm, slow motions. His deft fingers teased out loose feathers and righted misplaced ones. They fell asleep like that most nights. Maleficent with her back to Diaval, him preening her wings before slipping an arm around her waist. Normally it was an action that Maleficent found very comforting but not that night. She twitched her wing away in irritation.

"Stop it. It's too warm."

"Sorry." Diaval sighed.

"Why do you always do that anyway?" The heat was making her fractious and she knew it was unfair to pick a fight with Diaval over this. But she had to get her irritation out somehow. "Why do you touch my wings every night?"

"Why wouldn't I? You always seemed to like it."

"Yes but why do you do it? Why do you enjoy it?"

"What, a man can enjoy preening his mate's big sexy wings?"

There was a long pause. Maleficent looked over her shoulder.

"What?"

"What?" Diaval looked confused.

"What did you just say?"

"That I enjoy preening your wings?"

"Yes, but what did you call them?"

"Big?" Diaval tilted his head in confusion. "But not like, in a bad way or anything. They're so beautiful and strong. I like big wings. Always admired a good pair of wings on a female. N-not that I've been looking at other females wings since we got together-" Diaval babbled.

"You called them sexy." Maleficent ignored her mate's inane rambling.

"Yes." Diaval looked nonplussed.

"You think they're sexy?"

"Ye-es?"

"Why?!"

Diaval blinked.

"_I'm a bird_." He dead-panned.

"Ah. Fair enough." There was a beat of silence then - "So that's why you help me preen?"

"Preening is how birds show affection for one another. We want our loved ones to look as beautiful and fly as safely as possible."

"Oh." A small smile touched Maleficent's lips. He was so sweet.

"Also that time you broke a man's arm with them was oddly arousing." He confessed.

"Oh good grief, I _thought_ you were acting strange after that!" She remembered the incident in question all too clearly. Some lack-wit from the royal court had made the mistake of flirting with Maleficent and not taking the hint when she appeared uninterested. Finally losing her temper when he made to grab her waist, she had lashed out with her wings. The man's arm had snapped, and Maleficent had realised too late that she may have upset the peace in her beastie's kingdom. She had ever had a quick temper. Thankfully the mother of the youth in question had found it most amusing and had assured her that there would be no problem. She seemed to hope her son would learn the valuable lesson of taking "no" for an answer.

Diaval, for his part, had laughed himself near sick when it happened. Then he had dragged her to their guest chambers at the castle.

"I don't recall you complaining." Diaval smirked. She really hadn't. And the memory of just _how much_ she hadn't complained made a warm feeling bloom in her low belly. Maleficent gave a wicked smile herself. If she wasn't getting any sleep any way...

"No, I didn't." She turned and in one smooth motion straddled her lover. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Not that I'm even remotely complaining, but isn't it a little too hot for this?"

"It's a little too hot to do anything and I. Can't. Sleep." Maleficent lowered her head to catch Diaval's mouth in a kiss. He responded eagerly, slanting his mouth over hers and grasping the back of her head. His other hand reached up and delicately stroked along one wing.

Now she knew he found them sexy, Maleficent was hyper aware of how he touched her wings. Her breath hitched a little as he threaded his fingers into her feathers the same way they threaded into her hair. He was so careful, so delicate with them. His fingers brushed against the place where her wing connected to her back and she moaned, hips twitching a little of their own accord. Diaval drew back.

"You never did that before." He sounded surprised.

"I never knew you liked it before." Their lips met again, rougher this time and Maleficent let her wings spread to their full span, relishing the strangled sound Diaval made.

"Gorgeous." He breathed, running both hands over the top of them as he pressed a hot kiss to her neck. Maleficent ground against her mate, drawing her nails slowly down his chest. He was hard. His back arching as her nails left clawmarks

Removing one hand from her wings, Diaval let one trail down to the juncture of her thighs. The slick wetness there made him moan, mouthing lightly at the skin of her neck. Maleficent gasped. Admittedly their sex life hadn't always been fantastic. In fact when they had first started out it had been fairly awkward seeing as he was, technically, a different species. But once he had realised he could give his mate pleasure by doing certain things Diaval had learned her body's preferences with a single-minded determination that was dizzying.

He was using that hard-won knowledge now as he slowly ran two fingers over her clit, stroking along her feathers with the same rhythm. A low keening started in the back of her throat, her nails digging in to his chest. Her hips moved with each motion of his hand.

Then he bit her neck – hard - and it all got too much.

Pushing his hand out of the way she slowly eased her hips down over his, until he was totally within her, drawing it out to feel the way his body tensed. His hand gripped her hip, urging her to move. Pressing her mouth to his she began to rock against him as he thrust up in to her.

Diaval ran his nails along the base of one wing and down her spine and Maleficent sat upright, her back bowing out as she threw her head back. Diaval took a moment to stare in awe at his mate, sweat glistening on her skin, head thrown back, her wings spread to either side of her, blotting out the sky. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

One hand made it's way down to where they were still joined, placing a thumb over her pearl. The other palmed a breast. Maleficent looked down at him, her eyes fairly glowing in the darkness. Her wings were beginning to shake.

She rode him hard, hands resting on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath his sweat-soaked skin.

Without warning Diaval sat upright, bringing both hands to her back once more. They both gasped and Maleficent wrapped her arms around Diaval, one hand gripping his hair as her lips pressed to his.

Her wings were positively trembling now. They were both close, the hand not grasping Diaval's hair clawing at his back. Diaval's hands were running through her feathers. Then he grabbed a handful and gently pulled.

It was enough to send Maleficent over the edge, back arching as she cried out loudly. Diaval was close behind, face pressed to her neck as he came.

They sat together like that for a while, feeling the aftershocks move through them. Diaval brushed the damp strands of hair from Maleficent's face and kissed her gently. They lay down together, Maleficent idly tracing her fingers over the scratch marks on his skin. It was just as well Diaval liked it when she was rough, she thought. Because she'd left some serious claw marks this time.

But soon she was feeling even hotter and stickier than she did before. She moved away reluctantly.

"That's it. I don't care if I have to fight every water nymph in that damn lake. I'm going to go for a swim. And then sleep in the shallows. Wrinkly fingers be damned."

"Yes, dear. I think I'll join you. Only..."

"What?"

"Maybe we should put on some clothes first?"

* * *

_Author's note: So yeah. Smut. I haven't written this in a while. Hope it was okay. Never written wing kink before but it just seemed right. Diaval finding Maleficent's wings incredibly attractive is and will forever be one of my favourite headcanons._


End file.
